The Hobbit caught some negative reaction when 10 minutes of unfinished footage played at the CinemaCon convention earlier this year in Las Vegas. But Sir Ian McKellen, who stars in The Lord of the Rings prequel, has defended the anticipated film directed by Peter Jackson, after early criticism from fans flared over how it looks in 3-D.more »

Also in Monday afternoon's round-up of news briefs is more Elijah Wood news. He is teaming up for a production company focusing on genre product. Matt Reeves is picked to direct a major Fox project and more casting news in today's edition.more »

Did you ever think to yourself, what if Keanu Reeves in Speed wasn't on a bus careening through Santa Monica at the behest of a madman but sitting at a piano giving the concert of his life under pain of certain death? No? Well, that's why you, my friend, do not have a movie deal with Elijah Wood in place to star as said pianist. A classical thriller, they'll call it! More on Eugenio Mira's Grand Piano after the jump.more »

Australian director George Miller's Happy Feet was one of the surprise pleasures of the 2006 moviegoing year. The story was simple: A young Emperor penguin who has no skill for singing, a necessary skill in wooing a mate, discovers instead that he has a flair for dancing. The picture was fanciful and breezy and, particularly for a big-budget animation feature, showed a wonderful lightness of touch. And it didn't hurt that Savion Glover choreographed the dance moves of the main character, a chubby, awkward-elegant little guy named Mumble, voiced by Elijah Wood.

Empire Magazine gathered ex-Hobbit pals Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry (otherwise known as Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan) for a reunion photo shoot to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, in the December issue. It'll include Viggo Mortensen's behind the scenes photos, concept art, and stories from the set, and to whet your appetite Empire's released a brief "trailer" from its recent Hobbit cast reunion.

A quick update from Austin, where the Fantastic Debates took place at midnight pitting filmmakers, actors, and astrophysicists against each other in spoken debates before pounding it out in the boxing ring: If you were betting on Elijah Wood to reign victorious over Lord of the Rings buddy Dominic Monaghan (or in Hobbit terms, Frodo vs. Merry, who were debating the awesomeness of another fantasy nerd obsession, World of Warcraft), you'd have lost.

Fantastic Fest's annual Fantastic Debates pit filmmakers, critics, and celebrities against each other in a two-part battle that begins with a podium debate and ends with the ultimate showdown in the boxing ring. This year's Debates, held Saturday night in Austin, Texas, will get even more fantastic than usual as Elijah Wood and Lord of the Rings pal Dominic Monaghan duke it out with some Hobbit vs. Hobbit fisticuffs. Watch their challenge videos after the jump!

Why do celebrities ring the New York Stock Exchange bell? Is it because they have a project to promote, a longtime fascination with the stock market, a complex fetish for percussion instruments and stressed-out traders in suits? Who knows! But a lot of celebrities have gotten to ring the opening bell the past few years, and thanks to a new article in The Atlantic, we now know which movie stars are responsible for kicking off the biggest drops in recent memory. Be forewarned: Captain America may be able to protect the country against Nazis but his mighty shield cannot protect the NYSE.